For anybody wanting to come out from under the shackles of "necessary" software in order to benefit from the internet, then this is a great place to start. It is no longer vital to have the other piece of equipment when this does the job just as well - if not better, all things considered. Just a tiny app and streaming works a dream. You can do the same with Quicktime, apparently...and Media Player... A+
I downloaded an installation file for RealAlternative after a lot of searching for such a program. It sounded worth a try and apparently safe. I used afterdawn.com for the download, after trying to find info about the site. Began to wonder if I'd been "had," when immediately my hard drive began making unusual noises for such a file download. I chose to wait until sometime later before opening and installing the file --and never have yet. About a week later when I ran a scan with SpySweeper, it found a few dozen traces of "NetChatSpy." (It's now "removed." You can google the name and see what it is.) I cannot think of any way this could have gotten past a router and protective software and onto my PC except from the afterdawn.com download. If you are going to try RealAlternative, look for a truly reputable site. As for me, I think I'll just swallow hard and try setting up RealOne instead, with minimal no-default settings, and hope Real doesn't pester me.
[see comment dated 2005-12-25 above.] Since RealOne needed to be un-&-re-installed anyway for an update, I decided to leave it off and try an install of the "Real Alternative" (v. 1.46) instead [about 4 MB download instead of 12 MB for Real itself]. The uninstall of Real was recommended to avoid any conflicts with Real-Alt anyway. I'm completely satisfied with Real Alternative. It's a lean little package, does not nag or phone home; nor cover the screen with a big, ad-splashed interface. Perfect. I'm a believer in CleanSoftware.org, and will avoid that other site I mentioned.
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